Know Your Craft

When a place calls itself an “artisanal bakery,” I get skeptical. Everyone is now making sandwiches on artisan bread and I don’t even know what it means anymore. I think some restaurants take store bought bread and let it get stale and hard and then voila – “Artisan!” When I saw Bread Craft in Downtown Roanoke and the phrase “artisanal bakery” on the window, I figured “yeah right.” Well…I was wrong.

I have now been to Bread Craft on three different occasions, and the baking has been impressive each time. For my first visit, I had breakfast with a co-worker and tried the croissant with spinach, feta, and artichoke. The croissant was light, flaky, buttery and delicious. My previous two visits have been for lunch and I’ve ordered paninis both times, which were both very good. The Turkey Florentine Panini was my favorite of the two. It comes with turkey, bacon, spinach, artichokes, feta, and fresh mozzarella on flatbread. I don’t even like artichokes but I guess I do when I’m ordering them at Bread Craft. The other panini I’ve tried is the Roast Beef, which was also good, but I would recommend the Turkey Florentine if I had to choose between the two. It makes such a difference when the bread is one of the highlights of a sandwich, and that’s what you get at Bread Craft. Sandwiches are around $6.50 and are served with a side of a salad I don’t really know how to describe. I think it’s pickled cauliflower and mixed with a couple other vegetables.

The atmosphere at Bread Craft is great because it feels like an authentic, European café. It reminds me of the cafes I’ve visited in France and Switzerland. The fresh pastries on display, baskets of fresh baguettes, unique loaves that are only made on certain days of the week, and a friendly staff that knows its customers by name all help create this unique vibe. Even the touch of having small, round tables that are designed for parties of two help create the European café ambiance. It’s something people probably would have laughed at in Downtown Roanoke 15 years ago, but it now appears to be thriving.

Between On the Rise and Bread Craft, Downtown Roanoke has two great bakeries. And the fresh baked breads and pastries at Bread Craft help it meet the description of a true artisanal bakery.

I've decided to start a new category of posts for this blog and I will be doing this on a weekly basis. Top 3 Tuesdays will feature three things I want to highlight. It might be three of my favorite things. It might be three things that I really liked over the weekend. It might be three different websites I want people to check out. It might be three things I want to talk about regarding sports. It might be three people I think are really cool. Or, it might be any combination of the above! Without further ado, here's the first installment of Top 3 Tuesdays.

1. Notre Dame over OklahomaPrior to Saturday night, I was in the camp of not knowing what to make of Notre Dame. As I'd mentioned in previous posts, I was surprised at how much success they've had this year, but I also felt like they were going to be in over their heads against Oklahoma. Watching that game, I realized it was the exact opposite. Notre Dame executed well on both sides of the ball and they were the more physical team. And for the first time I can remember, I sat there thinking, "Wow. Notre Dame looks really athletic." It would figure if they come out next week and get upset by Pitt, but I really don't see them having a chance at losing until they play USC to end the season. At the beginning of the year, who'd have thought the game between the Irish and USC would have national championship implications for one team and that Notre Dame would be the team? Stunning.

2. Ben & Jerry's Greek Frozen Yogurt - Blueberry Vanilla GrahamI've been wanting to try the frozen yogurt by Ben & Jerry's for a long time, and I finally tried one of the flavors yesterday. The Blueberry Vanilla Graham was amazing! Seriously, Ben & Jerry's - shut up! I don't like most types of greek yogurt because I think it's too tart and frankly, it sucks...but this was excellent. The blueberries were a little tart but you could really taste the graham cracker crumb mixed into the yogurt, which made me feel like I was eating a frozen version of a blueberry cheesecake. It's probably not any healthier than regular ice cream, but I don't care because it tasted better than most flavors of regular ice cream I've had.

3. James Harden traded to the Houston Rockets.I'll admit that I'm a bandwagon Oklahoma City Thunder fan and I think Kevin Durant is outstanding. But, the one thing I didn't like about OKC was the fact that James Harden was on the roster. The "Fear the Beard" thing is ridiculous and it's incredible to think Harden now has an Olympic Gold Medal - especially because I think I contributed as much to the team as he did. I think Harden is a guy who is selfish, plays out of control, and made a name for himself coming off the bench - meaning he wasn't facing the other team's best players. Harden was also the beneficiary of playing with two of the most explosive offensive players in the league, who commanded most of the attention of the defense. Now that he'll be The Man in Houston, everyone will get a chance to see how great a player Harden actually is...or not.

We're Having Company

This is a review I’ve wanted to write for a long time and I’m finally getting around to it (eight hours in a car provides that opportunity). Corned Beef & Company is one of the most iconic restaurants in Downtown Roanoke. It was originally located in the City Market Building but quickly outgrew the stand in the building and relocated one block over to the current location on Jefferson Street. Now, it is one of the largest and most diverse restaurants in the area and remains a favorite for many.

It’s difficult to describe the atmosphere at Corned Beef & Co. because it is a little of everything. The entrance is part of the sports bar, but off to the left is a room with a dance floor, and after that room is a large area with pool tables, and behind those are private rooms, and upstairs is a casual dining area, and above that are more private rooms, and there’s also the large rooftop patio. Hello run on sentence! I think the restaurant can comfortably accommodate 54,000 people at one time.

The menu at Corned Beef & Co. is also very diverse. They offer a large selection of salads, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, steaks, seafood, and chicken dishes. I’ve tried the pizzas, salads, and sandwiches and I can’t think of a bad meal I’ve ever had there. It’s been a few months since I’ve been there, but Corned Beef & Co. used to offer one of the best weekday lunch deals in town. You could order the Pico Grilled Chicken Salad with a drink for $8.00. This southwestern style salad had chicken, peppers, onions, mushrooms, salsa, cheese, and more and it’s huge – similar to a “half” salad from The Cheesecake Factory. I don’t know if this special is still running, but I would highly recommend it to anyone. I’d also highly recommend the What-cha-ma-call-it sandwich, which is “hot pastrami, coleslaw, melted Swiss, Russian dressing, and mustard on grilled rye.” In my opinion, this is one of the best sandwiches in town.

Many people seem to have a lot of negative feelings towards Corned Beef & Co. Ironically, this tends to be more about poor decisions people make during drunken nights at Corned Beef than about the restaurant itself. I can’t speak for the experience on the dance floor and Friday nights or the bar at 2am, but I have always been impressed with the food. And judging by their endless array of dining rooms, I think a lot of people agree with me.

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From Ballparks to BBQ is a blog that focuses on food, sports, and travel. Whether it's a restaurant review, game preview, or what to do in a city, I'm here to offer my thoughts and suggestions. Learn more >

Disclaimer: The views and opinions of this site are entirely my own and are not representative of any company or organization.